Built in 1894 and the first public bathhouse designated an Important Cultural Property, the Honkan is Dogo's symbol. Full operation resumed in 2024 after a five-and-a-half-year restoration. The ground-floor 'Kami no Yu' is ¥700 for bathing only; upper floors add a rest room with tea. Soft alkaline water. Quietest right after the 6 am opening or after 9 pm.
The locals' bath for anyone who wants to skip the Honkan queue. Same source water for ¥500 with almost no wait. Bring or buy soap.
An annex opened in 2017 in Asuka-period style with Ehime craftwork throughout, plus an open-air bath the Honkan lacks. Upstairs rest rooms and a private special bath limited to five groups a day.
A five-minute ride down a 42-degree cable car to the bottom of the Iya gorge, where a self-flowing bath sits beside the river. Day use 7:30–17:00, cable car included. A member of the Secret Onsen Preservation Society.
A 390-year-old inn where Sōseki and Shiki once stayed. Two large baths (cypress and granite) with open-air tubs and saunas, all pure Dōgo water. Day use is ¥1,800 with towels and amenities included — a calm alternative to the crowded Honkan.
The bath wing of a historic hotel built on the site of the Yamauchi lords' residence below Kochi Castle. A rare natural hot spring in central Kochi, with a rotenburo facing the Kagami River and Mt. Hitsuzan, a large indoor bath and sauna. Day use is daytime only, 10:00–16:00. Fifteen minutes on foot from Harimaya Bridge — easy between sightseeing and the Sunday market. ¥1,200; bring or rent a towel.
Five minutes by car from the Kazurabashi vine bridge, the day-use bath of a large hotel at the mouth of the Iya Valley — the biggest bathhouse in Iya, with a rotenburo facing the green gorge, indoor pool and sauna. At ¥1,100 it's a cheaper, later-opening alternative to Hotel Iya Onsen's cable-car bath (¥1,900). 20 minutes by car from Oboke Station. Closed Tuesdays.
Fifteen minutes by Kotoden train from central Takamatsu, an architect-designed modern wooden bathhouse. Every tub is free-flowing, and the lukewarm bicarbonate water leaves skin silky. Inside are a second-hand book corner and veranda-like lounges where people linger reading after their soak. ¥700; 11:00–24:00 weekdays, from 9:00 on weekends and holidays. Ten minutes' walk from Busshozan Station.
Forty minutes by car from Kochi city, a hot-spring inn beside Shoryuji, temple 36 of the Shikoku pilgrimage. It claims Kochi's only high-concentration, high-temperature spring; the golden chloride water is nicknamed 'the heat bath' for how long it keeps you warm. The rotenburo looks over Usa Bay and the Pacific, and there's a free seaside footbath. Day use in two sessions — 5:30–9:00 and 14:00–21:00 — ¥750 on weekdays.
A lone inn in the hills of Shionoe, Takamatsu's traditional retreat and one of only two nationally designated therapeutic hot-spring areas on Shikoku. Its own pH 8.4 bicarbonate spring feeds a rotenburo above the stream, an indoor bath and a sauna, with a large free rest room. Day use in two sessions — 6:00–11:00 and 15:00–22:00 — for ¥700. Just 20 minutes by car from Takamatsu Airport, so handy before a flight.
Five minutes by car from the Kazurabashi vine bridge, this popular Iya inn is famous for its 'sky open-air bath' reached by private cable car. Day bathing (¥1,200) runs 10:30–16:00; the goemon cauldron baths are for overnight guests only. A free sky footbath on the viewing deck is spectacular on mornings with a sea of clouds. With Hotel Iya Onsen it forms Iya's pair of 'cable-car onsen', ideal for a break while touring the valley.
A hot-spring ryokan in the heart of the temple town below Kotohira-gū, close to the foot of the famous stone steps. Perfect for easing your legs with a day soak (¥750, 11:00–16:00) after climbing the 785 steps; the open-air bath looks out on the Konpira hills. Bicarbonate spring. About 10 minutes on foot from Kotohira Station and easy to pair with udon-shop hopping. Baths are occasionally closed for maintenance—check ahead.
A solitary inn on the Hinoji River in the Shimanto headwaters. Its viscous, highly alkaline water has been revered as a healing spring since the Edo period, and a day soak is a modest ¥700. Enjoy the open-air bath above the stream or book a private bath. Open late, 10:30–21:00, and 30 minutes by car from Kubokawa Station—ideal after canoeing or cycling the Shimanto.
A large day-use onsen next to the Naruto boat-race stadium, 10 minutes by car from the whirlpools and the Ōtsuka Museum of Art. The open-air bath, fed by the site's own natural spring, opens to Naruto's hills and sky; there are also a carbonated bath, pot tubs, a hot sauna, cold plunge and outdoor rest area. Open 8:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00), from early morning to late night; ¥750 weekdays, ¥900 weekends and holidays. The ground-floor restaurant is known for fresh fish — Naruto sea bream and sashimi at fair prices. Walkable from the Konaruto-bashi bus stop on the Tokushima Bus Naruto line. Irregular closures.
A roadside-station onsen on the hill of Shōdoshima Olive Park, right beside the Greek windmill made famous by film shoots. Big windows frame olive groves and the Seto Inland Sea; there are a herb bath, waterfall shower and sauna. The water is a radioactive (radon) spring. Owing to staff shortages, hours are shortened to 15:00–20:00 (last entry 19:30) from 17 July 2026 until further notice; ¥1,000, towel set rental ¥200. Closed all day Wednesday, and the onsen only on Thursday (holidays vary). Five minutes by car from Kusakabe port, ten from Ikeda port. Pair with a stroll around the park and the adjacent Olive Beach at island dusk.
A design hotel on the headland at Cape Ashizuri, Shikoku's southernmost point, renewed in 2024. It holds one of the source wells of the Ashizuri hot-spring cluster — a natural radon spring, mildly alkaline, with a legend linking it to Kōbō Daishi — enjoyed in an open-air bath overlooking the Pacific, two indoor tubs and a Shimanto-cypress sauna. Sunsets into the horizon and the night sky are the draw. Day use 15:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), ¥1,100 including bathing tax. Closed Tuesday to Thursday (with exceptions in peak season), so confirm ahead. About 90 minutes by bus from Nakamura Station, or an hour by car from Shimanto city. Combine with the cape lookout, the aquarium and the free Manjirō foot bath.
The municipal day-use bathhouse of Nibukawa Onsen — one of the 'three baths of Iyo' alongside Dōgo and Hontani, with a history back to the Edo period. Built beside the clear stream of Nibukawa Gorge, it has indoor and open-air baths and a sauna overlooking the valley. The mildly alkaline, radon-bearing simple spring is a silky 'beauty bath'. Adults pay just ¥420, and there is a rest hall, a snack corner and a shop with local produce. Open 10:30–21:00 (last entry 20:30); closed 2nd and 4th Mondays (next day if a holiday) and over New Year. About 30 minutes by bus from Imabari Station to 'Seseragi Kōryūkan-mae'. Popular with cyclists finishing the Shimanami Kaidō.
A public hot-spring lodge at the mouth of Nakatsu Gorge in Niyodogawa, Kōchi — the land of 'Niyodo blue'. The all-cypress open-air bath, rebuilt in 2019, sits right in the gorge, so you soak facing fresh greenery, autumn colour or snow depending on the season. The water is an alkaline simple sulphur spring, heated from a cold source. Day use 11:00–21:00 (last bath 20:00), ¥700 for adults, rising to ¥800 in cherry-blossom and autumn seasons, Golden Week, Obon and New Year. Closed Tuesdays (next day if a holiday) and two Wednesdays a month. The classic plan is a one-hour return walk along the gorge trail to Uryū Falls followed by a bath and a set meal of local produce in the restaurant. About 1 h 15 min by car from Kōchi city.
A large hot-spring hotel in the Ishite River gorge about 8 km inland from Dōgo Onsen. Its great open-air bath 'Suimei-no-yu', billed as one of the largest in western Japan, terraces some 26 tubs down the slope, where you soak in free-flowing alkaline simple sulphur water to the sound of the river — a 'beauty bath' with a clearer sulphur scent than Dōgo. Day use 15:00–20:00 (last entry 19:00), ¥1,100 for adults, irregular closures. The no-reservation private open-air baths 'Yunose' (¥4,400 for 45 min, 2–4 people, towels included) run until 23:00 and suit families or tattooed guests. A cold-spring pool operates in summer. About 50 minutes by bus from Matsuyama Station to 'Okudōgo', or 15 minutes by car from Dōgo Onsen Station.
A lone inn in the hills of Kitagawa, a 'yuzu village' of some 1,300 people in eastern Kōchi. Its spring, known for over 80 years, is loved locally as silky 'beauty water', and in 2018 the inn was completely rebuilt as Japan's first CLT-construction hot-spring building, using timber from the village. The wood-wrapped main bath, open-air bath and family bath are all 100% source water. Day bathing: adults ¥700, children ¥350, 11:00–21:00 (last entry 20:30), closed Tuesdays. Private baths cost ¥2,200 per group for 50 minutes on top of admission. There is a restaurant serving yuzu dishes, and the Nakaoka Shintarō museum and Monet's Garden Marmottan are nearby — a good stop on a drive toward Cape Muroto. About 20 minutes by car from Route 55; 14 rooms in three types.
A Japanese-style spa right by Kotohiki Park in Kan'onji, western Kagawa — famous for the giant coin drawn in sand, the Zenigata Sunae — and directly in front of Ariake beach. Its baths are inventive: a 'seawater onsen' bath, an ancient-cypress bath and a kama-buro steam bath recreating a 1,200-year-old design (alternating men/women daily), and the open-air bath looks over the Seto Inland Sea toward the sunset. Adults ¥950 on weekdays, ¥1,100 on weekends and holidays; open 11:00–23:00 (last entry 22:00), every day of the year. A sea-view restaurant, indoor and outdoor rest areas and lodging are attached. About 5 minutes by car from JR Kan'onji Station or 15 from Sanuki-Toyonaka IC; 500 parking spaces. Combine with the Chichibugahama sunset and the sand coin.
A hot-spring hotel on the banks of the Yoshino River in the Ōboke–Koboke gorge, where the water has carved through 200-million-year-old rock. The strongly alkaline simple spring — locals say it makes skin toner unnecessary — leaves skin smooth, and the gorge-facing main bath and open-air bath look out over the Koboke rapids, said to be Japan's wildest, and the mountainsides in their seasonal colours. Day bathing: adults ¥700, children ¥350, 12:00–21:00 (last entry 20:00); open daily, but on Saturdays, holidays and group-booking days it may close from 15:00, so check ahead. A convenient base for the Ōboke sightseeing boats, the yōkai museum and the drive to the Iya vine bridge; about 15 minutes on foot from JR Ōboke Station (pick-up available). Soap provided, towels for a fee.
A hot-spring resort in Kamiyama, a mountain town up the Akui River about an hour by car from Tokushima city, known for its newcomers and IT satellite offices. At its heart is the town-run bath 'Iyashi-no-yu', a contemporary building of local cedar and cypress notable for tatami mats laid throughout the bathroom, changing room and lobby. The sodium-chloride-bicarbonate cold mineral water feels mellow, then leaves the skin refreshed. Bubble bath, jet bath, waterfall massage, lie-down bath, herbal bath, sauna, cold plunge and a children's bath, with towels provided. Day bathing: adults ¥680, children ¥340, 10:00–20:00, closed the fourth Tuesday (open on holidays, Golden Week, Obon and New Year). The Kawasemi restaurant uses local produce, and private rest rooms and overnight stays are available. Combine with sudachi citrus, Amagoi Falls and Shōsan-ji, temple 12 of the Shikoku pilgrimage. About 60 minutes by Tokushima bus (Kamiyama line) from JR Tokushima Station to 'Kamiyama Onsen-mae'.
A municipal cure-bath in a valley at Irinoyama, in the fold of the Asan mountains at the eastern tip of Kagawa. Quiet, wrapped in cherry blossom in spring and maples in autumn, it is a daily bath for locals and a long-standing lodging for pilgrims walking the Shikoku 88 temples. The simple sulphur cold mineral water is praised for its 'slippery-silky' cling on the skin. The layout is simple — main tub, bubble bath, cold plunge and sauna — with a view of hushed green forest. Very cheap at ¥400 for adults and ¥200 for children (and for over-70s); open 10:00–21:00 every day (occasional maintenance closures). The restaurant serves wild-boar hotpot and live-fish dishes, and rooms with two meals start from about ¥6,500. About 20 minutes by car from Shirotori-Ōchi IC on the Takamatsu Expressway, or by Ōkawa bus to 'Fukushi Center (Shirotori Onsen)'. Combine with a Sanuki udon crawl or the old townscape of Hiketa.
A large spa complex in Tōon, just east of Matsuyama, whose pride is an open-air bathing area billed as among the biggest in western Japan. About 6 minutes on foot from Minara Station on the Iyotetsu line, with a free daily shuttle from Matsuyama-shi Station — handy for anyone wanting an onsen near Matsuyama other than Dōgo. The underground spring, nicknamed the '200-million-year warming water', fills a garden-like cluster of outdoor baths set with natural boulders, plus indoor baths, sauna and cold plunge, and there are five private family baths. Day use is by course: the standard course is ¥1,480 for adults, ¥1,280 for over-65s and ¥700 for children (including loungewear and the rest lounge), with cheaper simple courses. Open 06:00–24:00 (last entry 23:00; indoor baths only in the early morning; maintenance 09:00–10:00), every day. Japanese and Western restaurants, a café, body care, the adjoining Juraku hotel and a morning farmers' market let you linger for half a day. About 5 minutes by car from Tōon Smart IC.
A hot-spring complex on a rise in Haruno, Kōchi city, about 30 minutes by car from Kōchi Station, looking out over rice fields. Its big open-air bath fed by an abundant natural spring is the draw, with an indoor bath, a sand bath that warms you to the core, and in July–August a swimwear spa zone (pair baths, a children's spa and so on — ten in all), so families are many. Day bathing: adults ¥700, children ¥300, over-65s ¥500; open 10:00–21:00 (last entry 20:15), every day apart from occasional maintenance. The Haru Noie restaurant serves a weekly lunch, and a lodging wing with open-air-bath rooms starts at ¥8,650 with breakfast; being near the Haruno sports park it also hosts training camps. About 40 minutes by car from Kōchi Ryōma Airport, or 15 minutes on foot from the terminus of the Tosaden bus for JA Haruno; 60 parking spaces. A rare large open-air bath within Kōchi city, easy to fit between Katsurahama and the Niyodo Blue river.
A town-run hot spring inn on the clear Katsuura River in Kamikatsu, Tokushima – the village famous for its 'leaf business' and zero-waste pledge – that welcomes day bathers. The simple sulfur cold spring is heated for the baths and has a faint sulfur scent and a slippery, smoothing feel. The open-air bath faces the stream and looks over fresh greenery, autumn colour and terraced rice fields, with an indoor bath and sauna alongside. Adults (junior-high and up) pay ¥650 and children from 3 to elementary age ¥350; open 10:00–20:00, closed the second Wednesday. The dining room serves Kamikatsu mountain vegetables, Awa-odori chicken and dishes garnished with the village's celebrated 'irodori' leaves, and stays combining the adjacent campground and Kamikatsu tea farms are popular. Free parking for 150 cars, coaches welcome. About 50 minutes (39 km) by car from central Tokushima or 80 minutes from Tokushima IC; by Tokushima Bus on the Kamikatsu line to the Tsukigatani Onsen stop near the terminus. Pair it with the Kashihara rice terraces and the RISE & WIN brewery.
A natural hot spring super-sentō on Prefectural Route 12 in Ichinomiya, southern Takamatsu. It takes its name from the 'Takamatsu Crater', a roughly 4 km-wide buried structure beneath the plain thought by some to be a meteorite impact site, and draws its spring from about 300 m underground. The clear, soft water fills rock baths, pot baths, lie-down tubs and jet baths, with an open-air bath, sauna and cold plunge as well. Hours run from 6:00 in the morning until midnight (last entry 23:00), suiting both early dips and late stops, open all year (opening at 17:00 only on the third Tuesday). Adults pay ¥750 and children from infants to elementary age ¥350; towels are rented for a fee. A restaurant, rest space, overnight rooms and banquet halls keep it popular with locals, and barrier-free facilities are a point of pride. About 10 minutes' walk north of Kūkō-dōri Station on the Kotoden Kotohira Line, 20 minutes by car from Takamatsu Airport, with free parking for 200 cars. Good after Ritsurin Garden or a Sanuki udon crawl.
A stay-all-day natural hot spring complex in Minami-Kume, Matsuyama, about 15 minutes by car from Dōgo Onsen, 15 minutes from Matsuyama IC and 5 minutes on foot from Iyotetsu Kume Station. It opens at 5 in the morning and runs until 1 am (last entry midnight) every day of the year. Alkaline 'beautiful-skin' water from deep underground fills the indoor, open-air and lie-down baths; a Finnish sauna offers löyly sessions, with a cold plunge and outdoor cooling deck. Admission is ¥1,750 plus ¥150 bathing tax for adults (members ¥1,350 + ¥150), including face and bath towels and loungewear, so come empty-handed; the rock-bed spa is ¥300 extra and children pay ¥1,000 with a locker. Reservable family baths, a recliner lounge, restaurant, body care and scrub salon and even lodging make it a full-day base for Matsuyama sightseeing, and on dates containing a 1 the 'morning bath day' rate drops to ¥1,000. Free parking for 250 cars. Ideal after Dōgo Onsen Honkan for a long, relaxed sauna and rock-bath finish.
A hilltop hotel overlooking the Onaruto Bridge, with an 8th-floor panoramic bath and a rotenburo that merges with the horizon. Day trips 12:00–21:00, ¥1,300.
A day-only natural radon onsen close to central Takamatsu. Ten baths, from an open-air tub to a herbal bath and salt sauna, for ¥500, open until midnight.
An onsen inn by the clear stream at Towa in Shimanto town. Day bathing runs 12:00–19:00 for ¥700, and it is a rare station-side bath in the Shimanto river area, some seven minutes on foot from Tokawa Station.
The natural spring of a resort hotel on a hill named among Japan's 100 best sunsets. Its sky-high open-air bath looks over the Seto Inland Sea; day bathing runs 15:00–20:00 for ¥1,200.
The spring of an inn in the Oboke and Koboke gorges. Its great bath and open-air bath look over Koboke Gorge and the Yoshino River; day bathing is ¥700.
A traditional Japanese onsen ryokan standing near the approach to Kotohira-gu shrine. Its grand bath draws Konpira Onsen and is open to day visitors; from the indoor bath the view sweeps over the Sanuki plain to Iinoyama - the 'Sanuki Fuji' - and the Asan range. The north-side open-air bath (men's and women's sides switch between day and night) is wrapped in the greenery of Kotohira-yama with the temple town below. The well-kept garden is also much praised.
A free, terraced foot bath in the Ashizuri Onsen village at Cape Ashizuri, the southernmost tip of Shikoku. The prefectural natural monument Hakusando arch looms directly in front, and beyond it the deep blue Pacific stretches to the horizon - a superb setting. Legend says Kobo Daishi eased his travel fatigue in spring water welling from a valley stream here, putting the onsen's origins some 1,200 years back. Its quality radon-rich water is beloved as a 'cure-all bath' said to boost natural healing. Open 8:00-19:00 (closed Wednesdays), towels sold for 100 yen, parking for 20 cars. An ideal rest stop while touring the Ashizuri Lighthouse and Hakusando - a breather in the sea breeze.
A city-run onsen and community facility surrounded by nature in Kitagata, Toon (the old Kawaura area). Its thick, silky water is a sodium bicarbonate spring (hypotonic, alkaline) - a famed 'beauty bath that needs no lotion' praised by onsen fans near and far. The large bath has bubble baths, pressure jets and a waterfall bath, joined by an open-air bath, sauna, cold bath and five family baths (one barrier-free). A heated pool with a 15-metre slide and a training room are included in the admission fee, and there is a restaurant, tatami lounge and comic corner. 500 yen for adults, open 6:00-22:00 (last entry 21:30), closed the 4th Wednesday (next day if a holiday). Right at the Sakura-no-yu bus stop; about 5 minutes by car from the Kawaura IC, parking for 200 cars.
A 55-room hotel in Kanonji, Kagawa, born from the former Kampo-no-Yado Kanonji. Its natural Boshin Onsen spring, drawn from some 1,200 metres underground, fills the large bath and open-air baths. The two bath halls switch between men and women daily, so morning and evening you can try both distinctive open-air baths: Kotone-no-Yu, where a suikinkutsu water-harp sings, and Madoka-no-Yu, a cylindrical bamboo-themed bath. A low-temperature sauna is attached. Day bathing runs 11:00-15:00 at an affordable 600 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. About 8 minutes by taxi from JR Kanonji Station, with parking available.
An onsen ryokan at the foot of Mount Kanpu along Route 194 in Ino, Kochi. Its waters, flowing since the Edo period, are a gentle alkaline simple spring kind to the skin. The open-air bath overlooks the clear Yoshino River and is beautiful in every season - in spring you bathe beneath the cherry blossoms. The free-flowing sulfate water is said to ease cold sensitivity and fatigue, with day bathing 11:00-21:00 (last entry 20:00) at 700 yen for adults and 500 yen for children. A Michi-no-Eki Konoka is attached, and the lounge holds manga and children's toys, making it a family favourite. A year-round fishing pond lets you pair the onsen with stream fishing. Closed Wednesdays.
An onsen ryokan at the far end of the Nibukawa Onsen hamlet strung along Nibukawa Gorge in Tamagawa-cho, Imabari, Ehime. Originally built as a rest facility for the Shin-Kurushima Dock shipyard, it is a mid-sized inn that also handles large banquets and groups. Nibukawa Onsen is said to date back to the Heian period; its alkaline simple spring water containing radon (a sodium chloride-bicarbonate spring) is colourless yet slippery to the touch - some even rate the water above Dogo. Locals name Kairakuso when quality is the priority. Day bathing runs 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:00) at a bargain 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for children. Wrapped in gorge greenery, it also suits unhurried healing stays. Closed the 1st and 3rd Mondays.